Nanotyrannus Tibia
Late Cretaceous Period (approx. 67 million years ago), Lance Formation, Niobrara Co., Wyoming
No reserve
Auction Closed
July 16, 06:46 PM GMT
Estimate
6,000 - 9,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
Nanotyrannus Tibia
Nanotyrannus lancensis
Late Cretaceous Period (approx. 67 million years ago)
Lance Formation, Niobrara Co., Wyoming
30 x 7½ x 6 inches (76.2 x 19.1 x 15.2 cm), 37 inches (94 cm) tall on stand. 26 pounds (11.8 kg).
Based on length, this is the complete lower leg bone (tibia) belonging to an adult individual. It is in fine condition, its surface exhibiting pitting from erosion or insect activity occurring after death. Muscle scars and articulating surfaces on both ends are intact. This fine specimen represents an uncommon find, as the hollow limb bones of theropods are seldom preserved intact unless they are quickly buried under ideal conditions.
The Nanotyrannus tibia offered here was excavated from the Lance Formation, where the first documented Nanotyrannus skull was found in 1942 by paleontologist David H. Dunkle, thus the species name Nanotyrannus lancensis. Although at that time the skull was believed to have belonged to Gorgosaurus, the specimen was later reclassified in 1988 by leading American paleontologist Robert Bakker.
Small in size compared to other tyrannosaurids, this "dwarf tyrant" has long been the subject of ongoing scientific debate as to whether it is its own distinct species of dinosaur, or whether all known specimens are merely juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex. While the paleontological community remains divided, the tide seems to have turned distinctly in favor of recognizing Nanotyrannus. In 2024, paleontologists Nicholas Longrich and Evan Saitta published a pathbreaking article in Fossil Studies arguing that Nanotyrannus is a distinct, small-bodied tyrannosaur that differs in 150 morphological characteristics from its larger relative.
REFERENCES:
Bakker, Robert T. and Michael Williams. “Nanotyrannus, a new genus of pygmy tyrannosaur, from the Latest Cretaceous of Montana,” Hunteria, 1:5 (1988).
Longrich, Nicholas R. and Evan T. Saitta. "Taxonomic status of Nanotyrannus lancensis (Dinosauria: Tyrannosauroidea) — A distinct taxon of Small-bodied dinosaur," Fossil Studies 2:1 (2024).